CLEVELAND, OH – January 26th, 2009 – Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was named today as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, January 19th through Sunday, January 25th.

In four games during the week, James averaged an Eastern Conference-best 30.5 points, 8.8 assists, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 41.4 minutes per game. James has now won the award 17 times in his career: for the fourth time this season, three times in 2007-08, twice in 2006-07, five times in 2005-06 and on three occasions during the 2004-05 campaign.

The Cavaliers went 3-1 on a four-game Western Conference road trip. James recorded 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals on January 19th at Los Angeles Lakers. At Portland on January 21st, he posted his 11th double-double of the season with 34 points and 14 assists while adding seven rebounds and one block. James scored 32 points, including the game-winning basket with time expiring, and totaled nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and three steals in a win at Golden State on January 23rd. With his fourth free throw made, he passed Brad Daugherty (2,741) to become the Cavaliers all-time leader in free throws made. The following night at Utah on January 24th, he tallied 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, becoming the first player to record at least those numbers in a non-overtime game since Kevin Garnett in 2004.

With the three wins during the week, the Cavaliers improved to an Eastern Conference best 14-2 against the West, including 8-2 on the road. James and the Cavaliers are off to their best start in franchise history and sit atop the Eastern Conference at 34-8.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Andrew Bynum was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. Other nominees for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week were fellow Cavalier Mo Williams, Boston’s Ray Allen, Charlotte’s Raja Bell and Boris Diaw, Indiana’s Danny Granger and New York’s David Lee.